Jenkins, R-Kansas, told 13 News in an interview Friday that laws allowing the government to access certain records and data of citizens can serve a legitimate purpose in catching terrorists. But she Congress must act as the "check and balance" to ensure they are not abused.

Earlier this week, the Guardian reported on a classified National Security Agency (NSA) program that involved collecting the phone records of hundreds of millions of U.S. phone customers. The Washington Post also reported Thursday night that the NSA and the FBI have been mining data from the servers of nine American internet companies, and "extracting audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents, and connection logs that enable analysts to track foreign targets."

Much like the recent IRS scandal, Jenkins says, the problem is with oversite.

"The question is whether the administration has gone too far," Jenkins said.

Jenkins likened it to the IRS situation, saying IRS agents are supposed to review information to ensure everyone is following the law, however, she says, when they start targeting people based on politics, "we have to stop."

Jenkins sits on the House committee holding hearings on the IRS scandal.

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.